


The Yearly Contest

by ReeLeeV



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Cute, Enemies to Lovers, Friendly Rivalry, Funny, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, LMAO, M/M, Neighbors, One Shot, Pumpkins, Rivals to Lovers, hyungwon's a sass ball, i guess, kihyuk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 03:16:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15986468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReeLeeV/pseuds/ReeLeeV
Summary: Kihyun lives in a small town with a perfect little park and perfect houses with perfect little white-picket fences all around. He loves his small town, but there’s just one thing that always grates his cheese... and that's the damned jack-o-lantern contest in the town square.





	The Yearly Contest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heroesfan101](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heroesfan101/gifts).



Kihyun flips through design books, his chin resting in his upturned palm. He’s slumped to the side just a bit, his lips puckered in a pout. There’s a yip near his feet, and Kihyun tears his aching eyes away from the glossy pages with a sigh. His sweet little Pomeranian, Aecha, is staring up at him, her little teeth showing in a wide grin. Kihyun chuckles lightly, leaning down to pick her up. He holds her in his arms as he stares at the pages again, her tiny paws resting against the table as her tongue lolls out so she can pant. 

“What do you think of this one, sweet girl?” he prompts, pointing to a photo of an elaborately sketched-out design involving the face of some celebrity that’s sure to get some of the thirstier judges’ votes. Aecha yips, wagging her poofy tail as if to say she approves. Kihyun chuckles affectionately, scratching behind her ears in thanks like he knows she likes. “I know, it looks amazing... I just don’t know if it’ll be enough to beat  _him_  this year...” Aecha growls suddenly, and Kihyun can’t help but hug her close in approval. 

 _He_ , his nauseatingly  _perfect_  neighbor Lee Minhyuk, has won the pumpkin-carving contest every other year for the past  _four goddamn years_. And it’s not even because he’s that good at carving (at least, according to Kihyun)! He just flirts with all the judges and charms them to his side with those sinfully good Halloween cookies he makes every year, making it all too easy for them to ignore Kihyun’s hard work.  

And that’s not even to  _mention_ the town-wide Halloween party Minhyuk throws every year after the kids are supposed to have gone to bed. 

Basically, Minhyuk’s the town's best citizen in every regard, while Kihyun’s always just been second best... But, not this year.  _This_ year, everyone will be talking about how Kihyun’s the best because he’s one-upped Minhyuk once more at that insipid contest and had the best damn cookies anyone’s ever had the pleasure of eating!  

His phone dings, drawing his attention away from the book long enough for him to see it’s an alert from Instagram saying he’s been tagged by none other than Lee himself. Kihyun quickly grabs it, unlocks the device. He opens the app, eyes flicking around eagerly. He knows it’s gonna piss him off, no matter what it is, he just needs to kno— 

Yep. That’s it.  

Kihyun clenches his phone tightly, gritting his teeth, and Aecha starts to growl from his lap again.  

It’s a photo from last year’s contest. Minhyuk’s victory photo, in fact. He’s hugging the trophy with one arm while leaning down to get his sneering mug of triumph next to the winning pumpkin. It was a pretty basic design, in Kihyun’s opinion. Just a witch riding a broom... spanned across three different pumpkins... with different colored lights shining in each of them... and even the middle cackling every time you walked by it. 

But, it was basic. And Kihyun’s sticking to that opinion till his last breath.  

“ _Can’t believe we’re already at this time of_ _year_ _again!!! Can’t wait to compete with @_ _yooki_ _again, aka the best neighbor~!!!”_  

Kihyun sticks his tongue out in disgust at the caption, typing out something suitable in response. 

“ _haha_ _, I can only hope to pay you back for all_ _las_ _t_ _year’s loss t_ _his year Min!!! Finger’s crossed!”_  

He huffs out a breath of annoyance as he sets his phone to the side, returning to the design books with renewed vigor.  

He’s going to beat that brat for all he’s worth this year, one way or another...  

 

Minhyuk sits at his favorite spot in his entire home, an armchair near the window looking into the home of the man next door. He sketches out in his notebook some different sculpting ideas, trying to figure out just what kind of theme he’d like to go with this year. He hums a light melody under his breath, glancing up every so often to catch a glimpse of his neighbor. 

Yoo Kihyun, the man desperate to be the best at everything. Minhyuk doesn’t quite understand why Kihyun is so adamant about this apparent grudge between them, has been for years, though the taller just doesn’t see the point of it. He’s entertained it up to this point, let Kihyun believe they’re in this neck-and-neck race without a finish line, but it’ll end this year... 

Minhyuk blinks unevenly at the page, shaking his head free to refocus. He chuckles loosely, shaking his head at himself at the absentminded sketch of Kihyun staring back up at him. He flips to a new page with a bit of a flourish, pressing the tip of his pencil to the clean slate with a renewed determination.  

This’ll be the final year of their cat and mouse game. This year, Minhyuk will end it all. 

 

Kihyun’s got his arm elbow-deep into a pumpkin’s hole when there’s a knock at his door. He scowls, pulling out of the gourd and wiping his hands against the apron to get as much of the guts off as possible as he goes to answer. There’s only one person who would come by now, on the eve of the carving contest. Aecha follows close at his heel, her little ink tongue lolled out. He takes a deep breath, steeling himself for what surely awaits him on the other side. 

“Howdy neighbor~” greets Minhyuk the second Kihyun opens the door, a plate of pumpkin and ghost-shaped cookies in his hands. Kihyun eyes the platter of sugary sin, doing his best to keep even this tight-lipped piss-ass grin pasted to his features. Aecha growls at Kihyun’s feet, causing Minhyuk to chuckle lightly as he takes a step back. 

“Hey, Min,” Kihyun replies, holding onto the door tightly as he meets Minhyuk’s gaze. Minhyuk’s smile is effortless, the smile of a winner. Judging by it, he’s already heard who the judges are and knows he’s got this in the bag.  

“I just got done visiting with Wonnie, the head judge this year,” Minhyuk says, confirming Kihyun’s suspicions, “and I thought I’d offer you some of the cookies I made. You know, in the spirit of friendly competition.” 

Kihyun’s eyes flick back down to the plate, unsure if the slightly-older is screwing with him or what. After all, Minhyuk’s never gone out of his way like this to share his cookies. Is he just trying to provoke Kihyun? Show him that no matter what he does, Minhyuk’s still got the judges in his pocket? Probably. 

Still, it’d be rude to not take something so simple, so Kihyun thanks the taller with a small nod and reaches out, picking up a pumpkin. He sets it between his teeth, biting a bit too hard into the sweet with an almost threatening light filling his eyes. 

“Mmm~” he hums, smirking at the man in front of him. Really, these cookies taste just like every other store-bought frozen things you can get and have finished in twelve minutes, but he doesn’t say that. Instead, he proclaims a, “Just as delicious as ever, Minhyuk-ah.” Minhyuk seems to brighten at this, though Kihyun knows it isn’t genuine. It couldn’t be. This is all just a psych-out tactic.  

It’s this mindset that keeps him from blushing when Minhyuk reaches out slowly, a proud, toothy grin pulling at his features as he wipes a stray crumb from the corner of Kihyun’s mouth. Minhyuk brings his thumb to his own lips, sucking the crumb off the tip of it with a strangely unreadable light to his eyes. Kihyun’s brows rise ever so slightly, though he doesn’t react otherwise. 

“I’m glad you like them, I baked them with love~” Minhyuk says, that oily smile spreading across his face. 

It’s all Kihyun has in him to keep from spitting his bite out then and there. 

Instead, he merely hums once more, nodding that they are indeed delicious.  

The two men stand there for another moment before Minhyuk suddenly steps back, says cheerily, “I’ll see you tomorrow at the park, Kihyunnie!” and scurries off. Kihyun’s brows furrow together, and he can’t help but lean slightly through the open doorway to watch as Minhyuk quickly shuffles to his own home. Huh...  

Kihyun rolls his eyes, shuts the door. Minhyuk’s just trying to make it seem like he’s nervous. It’s a new tactic, but a tactic nonetheless, and it just won’t work on Kihyun. No. He absolutely  _refuses_ to let it work, even if it is... a bit odd.  

He goes back to his makeshift carving station, tossing the cookie into the wastebasket with a tone of finality. 

No, he won’t let anything get to him now. He’s got a plan, and nothing will distract him now. 

 

The following evening, Hyungwon skulks through the rows of pumpkins, scratching off names of the contestants one by one. None of these are worthwhile, worth  _his time_ , but he’s got to look at them anyway... Great. Last time he gets swindled into something by Lee Minhyuk. 

There’s a knock on the table behind him, and Hyungwon glances back over his shoulder, a wry smile quirking up his plump lips. Speak of the devil... Literally. 

Lee Minhyuk, in all his glory, dressed up in a scarlet red pleather get-up, pants clutching onto his skinny legs and a fishnet top atop his otherwise-bare torso with furry cuffs at the ends of the sleeves. His makeup is dramatic, with dark liner and foundation covering all possible blemishes, and a sparkly set of devil horns peeking up out of his bleached hair.  

Hyungwon can’t help but chuckle as he returns his gaze to the table of sub-par jack-o-lanterns. Minhyuk’s got his plan in full-swing tonight. 

“Let me guess,” he says, his dry tone dripping with sarcasm, “you’ve got a couple’s costume, and he’s going to be the angel.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Minhyuk snickers out in response, the clack of his crimson platform boots softened by the grass at their feet. “I have no idea what Kihyunnie is dressing up as.” Hyungwon hums, not quite believing that. 

“You didn’t see his costume through that creepy-ass window you have spying on him all the time?” he insists. This earns a light slap from his friend, one he overreacts to to elicit some level of guilt. 

“I don’t  _spy_ on him,” Minhyuk argues, rudely ignoring his superb acting. “Don’t make me sound like a pervert after I made you cookies this afternoon.” Hyungwon sees Minhyuk pause dramatically out of the corner of his eye, glancing around their surroundings. Which is pointless, since they’re the only two left out by this time. All the contestants had come early in the afternoon to drop off their entries, and now the parents of the town are leading their kids around on their quest for candy. Those without kids are getting ready specially for Minhyuk’s impending Halloween blowout... Even the other judges have scored the pumpkins, leaving Hyungwon as the final vote for the winner. 

It’s the same thing every year. 

“I just came by to make sure you’re voting right,” Minhyuk states, nodding towards the two most overdone gourds in the entire park. It’s obvious who they belong to, Minhyuk and Kihyun. Those two always go all out for this thing, something Hyungwon doesn’t think he’ll ever understand. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Hyungwon says, waving the older’s concerns off with the pen clenched between his long fingers. He moves over to them, pointedly marking his vote down for Kihyun’s shaved-out portrait of one of the top actors right now. He glances over to Minhyuk as if to say ‘happy now?’.  

The older coos, wrapping his arms tightly around Hyungwon’s neck and hugging him close. 

“Thank you, Wonnie!” he says, genuinely delighted. “This’ll make him so happy... He’ll be in the perfect mood for tonight.” 

“Whatever,” Hyungwon replies, though he hugs Minhyuk back quickly before pulling away. “Now get out of here before someone sees you and makes this vote uncountable.” Minhyuk nods and is out of there faster than light, running off to get back to his home. 

Now, he can just focus on the party.  

 

Kihyun stands on the doorstep of Minhyuk’s home later that night, a smug smirk set on his features. He’s just gotten the news from Hyungwon that he’d won, and he couldn’t think of anything better deserved than this. Tomorrow, he’ll get the official trophy to take his victory selfie with. But, for tonight, everyone at least knows and will be congratulating him and telling him just how much he deserves it and how amazing his jack-o-lantern was... 

 _Take that,_ _Minhyuk_ _._  

The door opens before Kihyun can knock on the door, revealing a mass of people milling about, cups in their hands and one or two partners on their arms. A younger couple stumbles out of the house giggling, paying Kihyun no mind, and he quickly slips in before the door can close again. Someone bumps into him, the middle school principal, he thinks. He sighs, clicking his tongue in dismay as he steps back and weaves passed her. 

He reaches up, messing with his albeit simple headpiece... He doesn’t want anyone to mess up his perfect costume before Minhyuk can see... You know, so he can gloat more.  

He goes to the kitchen, ladles himself out a cup of spiked cider from the crystalline punch bowl in the center of the refreshments table. As he takes a sip, he turns on his heel to head back out and start his prideful strut through enemy territory, but instead runs smack into Hyungwon. He smirks, dropping his cup from his lips and fully intending to make some snide remark about how the one who bought him off didn’t even work in the end. 

“Thought you two didn’t coordinate?” Hyungwon asks, his handsome face covered in jaguar paint, beating Kihyun to the punch. Kihyun’s smug demeanor falters for a moment, unsure as to what the younger is referring to.  

“Coordinate what?” he asks, unable to keep himself from doing so. Hyungwon pointedly stares at the man’s costume, all pure white and soft, very much going with the halo pinned to his dark hair. Kihyun’s even more puzzled by the silent reply, and he parts his lips to ask for clarification once more. But, then, a wave of music floods through the home, and the older’s attempt is squashed. He purses his lips, unsettled.  

Hyungwon merely smirks, leans down close to Kihyun’s ear. “Go talk to Min,” he says, as if that’ll answer everything. “He’s out in the backyard.” He pulls back, shooting Kihyun a small wink before heading out, his cat tail swishing behind him. 

Kihyun stares after him for a moment, dumbfounded. Just what kind of conversation was that??  

He ‘hmmph’s under his breath, pressing the plastic cup to his lips to take another drink as he marches off to find Minhyuk for answers.  

 

Minhyuk sits on his concrete patio, staring at the starry sky with a hint of a smile on his features, He sits with his legs crossed one over the other, a cup of plain cider in his hand. There’s a dreamy look to his eye, far-off and lost in the cosmos. It doesn’t break when Kihyun slides open the glass door, steps out in his white boots, goes out to stand beside the man. No, it only breaks when Kihyun speaks, a soft, simple “Hey,” but it’s enough to ground Minhyuk back in reality. 

Kihyun’s always been too good at bringing Minhyuk back down to Earth. 

An ironic smile twists along his features when he recognizes Kihyun’s costume, thinking it to be aptly suited for the kind-hearted man—and a hint of the hand of Fate always guiding them in some way... 

“I think congratulations are in order,” he says, glancing back to the inky sky above. He sips at his beverage, reclining his head back against the metal chair. He sees Kihyun react in bemused surprise at his words out of the corner of his eye, and he goes on to say, “I mean, you  _did_ win, didn’t you?” 

“Of course,” Kihyun answers, crossing his arms over his chest, “but that’s not why I came out here. Hyungwon just told me to come talk to you...?” Minhyuk hums in acknowledgment, a bubble of nerves filling his throat. 

It’s at moments like this he wished he could drink, that his stomach could handle it. He could use some liquid courage right about now... 

Minhyuk stands melodramatically, turns to face the shorter. Under the moonlight, his ethereal makeup is all the more effective, the corners of his eyes brushed up with glitter, and his pink lips glossed over. Minhyuk gulps thickly, dropping his gaze to gather his own thoughts. God, Kihyun is just so beautiful without even trying...  

“... You okay?” Kihyun asks, his voice somewhat subdued. “You’re acting... stranger than normal.” Minhyuk chuckles lightly at that, the raspy tones of mirth echoing in the otherwise quiet night. He sees Kihyun ripple defensively in his peripheral, and he pushes out a sigh before stepping a bit closer. 

“This isn’t...  _that_ big of a deal,” Minhyuk says, though he’s not too sure if he’s trying to convince himself or Kihyun of this. “It’s just something I need to get off my chest. You can do with this what you want, I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything...” 

“Um,” Kihyun mutters, growing more unsure as to what this could possibly be about by the second, “okay...” His lips are puckered into a confused pout, an expression Minhyuk can’t help but smile at. He just finds it...  _so_ precious.  

“I... I’m... uhm” Minhyuk smacks his lips a couple times, clears his throat once. He huffs out a breath, unable to keep looking at Kihyun’s face. He turns, staring off at the white-picket fence around his home. Maybe he can get it out so long as he isn’t looking at the younger. Maybe then his heart will stop beating a million miles a minute, like it’s just about to burst from his chest.  

“I like you, Kihyun,” Minhyuk manages to choke out, his raspy tones choking around his own words. “I think you’re cute, even when you nag me about using the wrong kind of detergent on my clothes whenever I hang them out to dry. You’re so sure of yourself, it’d be annoying if it weren’t so damn attractive... You’re annoying, but in an endearing way. I just... really like you, and would like to... p-pursue something, if you’re open to that.” 

It isn’t like Minhyuk to trip over his own words, to stutter like that. He’s usually quite the silver-tongued devil. But, tonight, that has left him, and he’s no better than the second-grade teacher, Hoseok. It’s a wonder half the kids in town speak as well as they do after being taught by that blubbering mess. 

Kihyun’s silent for a moment too long, and Minhyuk’s sure he doesn’t feel the same way. He pastes on a bright smile, fully willing to play this off as a joke if the younger would allow. He doesn’t want to lose Kihyun as a frenemy if he can’t have him as a lover, after all. Having no Kihyun in your life is a million times worse than having some semblance of him present, even if from a distance. 

“... Huh,” Kihyun finally says, his voice airy, as if he’s out of breath. Minhyuk can’t bring himself to turn around, wringing his fingers together in front of himself anxiously. “Well... I wasn’t expecting  _that_ when I came out here.” He chuckles lightly, though it sounds forced. There’s another unbearable pause, only broken by the sound of footsteps. Minhyuk presses his lips together, keeping his eyes trained on that damn fence.  

“Min,” Kihyun says, his voice so soft, so close, that Minhyuk nearly jumps out of his skin. His hand presses against Minhyuk’s arm, gently grabbing it, and Minhyuk turns around, his eyes practically quaking in their sockets. Kihyun withdraws his hand, smiling almost sheepishly. It’s a strange expression on the slightly-younger's face, though it’s cute nonetheless.  

“Is this... why you brought me cookies yesterday? And did that thing with the crumb?” 

Minhyuk can’t help but laugh, nodding his head in silent reply. Kihyun chuckles, himself. 

“I thought you were trying to... I don’t know, mess with me. I never thought—" He cuts himself off, shaking his head. A chilled autumnal wind blows between them, and both men instinctively shuffle closer together to keep warm. Minhyuk’s heart beats even faster than before, driven mad by the closeness. Kihyun chews on the inside of his cheek, seeming thoughtful. He reaches down, grabs the taller’s hand, and slowly threads their fingers together. 

Minhyuk can almost hear the gears turning in Kihyun’s head as he studies how their hands look together, how different they are in size yet how perfectly they seem to fit together. Kihyun gulps thickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing, as he steps away, still holding Minhyuk’s hand. 

“Come on, I’m getting cold,” is all he says leading them towards the house and showing no sign of releasing Minhyuk from his grip. 

And, honestly, that’s pretty damn okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope my prompter liked what I did with their idea! I had three really fun choices, so it was hard to pick, but i hope I did this one justice!!!! ^^:


End file.
